


I hate you, Aomine Daiki

by mariadelshad



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Aomine basically gets them together, Aomine is freaking amazing and I love him, Getting Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-11 01:16:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5608228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariadelshad/pseuds/mariadelshad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A misunderstanding means that Kagami has to leave his apartment. Luckily, his shadow has plenty of space and a blow-up bed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I hate you, Aomine Daiki

**Author's Note:**

> Please excuse any mistakes in the description. For example in the housing etc. I have never visited nor seen a Japanese house, therefore, I don't know what they are like. I know what I have searched online.
> 
> Still, I hope you enjoy and if you do then please, please, PLEASE tell me. Equally, if there's something you think I should improve for next time then I am absolutely open to suggestions!
> 
> I'm also willing to take requests so send me a message or an ask on Tumblr (destieltosterek) if you have one! :D

 

"You don't understand!" Kagami practically screeches into the speaker of his phone, voice loud enough to startle his neighbors. "I did pay, you need to check your records again!" He's sitting forward on his sofa, legs subconsciously bouncing in frustration from under his forearm.

"Please calm down, sir. I assure you that the payment does not appear on our system." The assistant on the other line attempts to keep his own tone modulated though their strain on every word makes it clear that they're on their last strand of patience as well. "We have issued a letter to warn you to evacuate the property immediately or we will have to take further action" Kagami has to mentally tell himself to loosen his grip around his phone if he doesn't want to smash it to pieces, rage seeping into every inch of his body. "I'm afraid that's all I can help you with unless you're able to pay your rent and it's charges now or you're able to provide us with a bank statement to prove that you have paid off your outstanding balanc-"Pressing the cancel button on his phone, Kagami cuts the other person off and ends the call before he allows the flood of curses he's been thinking of for the past hour or so to actually make it past his lips. There's no way that he can muster up enough money to pay off the ridiculous amount that they've wrongly charged him with. He'll have to just lay low somewhere until he can prove to those bastard that, yes, he has payed his damn rent.Kagami sighs because out of all the days of the week, shit decided to hit the fan on a Friday afternoon. A day where he will have no access to a bank which can provide him with a statement until the weekend has come and gone. His teeth clench so tight that his jaws hurt, already going through a list of people that might let him crash at their house until he can sort this mess out.Riko? No, her father would probably castrate him if he even thought about it. From what he's heard when his team mates talk they hardly have space to live in themselves, each with a large family and small homes. And he would just about rather beg under a bridge than have to put up with Aomine's ever growing ego or Kise's constant string of complaints about.... well, everything.His head is cradled in his palms, mentally rampaging through every brain cell to figure out a way that will pull him out of this crap when his phone vibrates at his side, sending him a whole foot into the air. "WHAT?!" He angrily shouts down the mobile without reading the caller I.D.A few ticks of silence is followed by a leveled voice. "Is Kagami-kun alright?""Do I sound alright!?" Kagami recognizes the calm tone right away, unnecessarily hulking out and imploding his fury over the boy on the other line."What's wrong, Kagami-kun?" Kuroko asks, clearly unphazed by the older boy's intimidating screaming. Kagami is about to simply put the phone down on him and go back to brooding, but then he figures that if he's going to scream and get angry at Kuroko then he at least deserves to know why. Besides, Kagami would probably prefer dying over admitting the truth, but Kuroko's voice is soothing and rather calming for his nerves. Why? He's not really sure. It just is....It turns out that Kuroko is actually the answer to all his current problems, which shouldn't really have come as much of a shock. Kuroko usually is the answer to allot of his problems. Kagami thanks whatever force it was that made the younger boy call him in that moment because within the short space of an hour he has most of his essentials packed and is making his way down to his shadow's small house.Kuroko's home is nothing fancy. Simple, small and cute.  _Allot like him_ , Kagami thinks only to quickly back hand his own unacceptable thoughts.

 

The house stands alone from the other houses, framed by vines of flowers and leaves that drape around it in a decorative manner. His shadow unlocks the door, opens and leads him in, speaking out a quiet welcome Kagami hardly notices because of the enticing aroma of roses he's immediately greeted with as he takes a step inside. He can't help but inhale the scent, eyes catching a warm colored painting of pink blossoms on the opposite wall.

"My mother drew it" Kuroko says, clearly noticing Kagami's gawking eyes, as he kicks his shoes off and places it on the rack. Kagami follows his actions and fits his own trainers besides his shadow's."Your mother's an artist?" Kuroko almost scoffs."She likes to think so" The rooms are a hybrid of traditional Japanese style with a modern twist to them. Like any classic house in Japan all doors slide rather than get pushed open, the floors and roof are made up of wood yet there are sofas occupying the living area rather than sitting mats. All the colors of the furniture have been rendered to match each other, from the black leather sofas to the dark wooden tables and shaggy rug that sits beneath them all the way to the too large plasma that faces the spacious sitting area.When Kagami returned he decided that it would be best to rent a flat with an American resemblance in architecture, just so he can keep the 'home' sickness away as much as possible. It's refreshing for him to see something a little bit more traditional."You have a nice home" He says with no sense of a lie and Kuroko drops his bag at the side of the armchair, softly smiling up at his light."Tetsuya, is that you?" Kagami turns around to where the owner of the feminine voice enters the room. "Oh" she says when her eyes meet Kagami's. "This must be your friend, Tetsu" She has delicate features, a small face and a petite frame of body. Her eyes are sky blue and her smile is friendly, hair matching the same shade as her sons though hers is longer in length and is parted right down the middle. She looks much younger than Kagami would have probably guessed which more likely than not has a little to do with her gentle visage. "Welcome" She greets with a small nod of her head and then continues talking before he can "I have made dinner, I hope you're hungry"."Yes, please" Kuroko has to restrict himself from scoffing because since when has Kagami been so polite?...Kuroko's father joins them for dinner. Kuroko's dad is basically an older version of his son which creeps the hell out of Kagami for a moment. Kagami attempts to quickly adjust to the shock though he can't help the way his eyes dart from Kuroko to his father half a dozen times.

 

Kagami, however, quickly realizes that there are many differences. Firstly he's smiling from the moment he walks in, secondly his hair is shorter and pushed away from his forehead, eye's smaller than his sons and he's much more built than Kuroko. He's dressed elegantly in a suit and has a briefcase in his hand. Kagami thinks that he must be some kind of businessman or something. He sets his case down and plants himself in one of the chairs at the table. "Son" he says even though he's not actually looking at his own offspring, instead his attention focusing on Kagami. "You should know that my wife makes some amazing food" is the first thing he says.

Kagami's lips almost fall slack open, too starstruck by the fact that he's actually been called 'son' after so long to respond. Kuroko's dad leans forward, holding his open hand by his lips as though he's attempting to conceal what he's about to say. "I have to say that or I will have to sleep on the sofa tonight" His voice is set in a teasing tone, loud enough for his wife to hear though he pretends to whisper."Hey!" She says, walking in with a pot of food in her hand. "I heard that! You'd better hope that the sofa is comfortable" And they both laugh, a unison sound of joy that flutters out so genuinely that Kagami is taken aback for a moment. Kuroko, who sits beside Kagami on the dinner table, is affectionately watching his parents with a small smile on his face. Kagami has to wonder for a moment that if these people are actually Kurioko's parents. Kuroko who he's never heard laugh so fully... ever....Kuroko's father must be joking because the cooking is so delicious that it has Kagami wanting, oh so desperately, to reach out and serve himself some more but instead he thanks them for the great food and places his hand one on top of the other on his lap. Kuroko watches him like he's grown instant antlers or something."Don't be silly" Kuroko's mother reaches over and places another generous serving of curry and rice onto his dish. "Tetsuya doesn't stop talking about you, he told us how much you like to eat. Don't be shy, eat all you like. You don't think that the three of us will finish all this, right?" Her hand points towards the pot while Kagami is still recovering from a third-degree blush because Kuroko talks about him? Kagami just shakes his head as a response to the woman's question. "You can't be shy here, understood? Or  _you_  will have to sleep on the sofa""She's right" The man says. "Tetsuya always says how much of a great friend you are to him, so please look at this house as your own""Thank you" Is all that Kagami can muster up to say, buried six feet into the ditch of shyness. His eyes shift to the side, without the move of his head, and it turns out that Kuroko's blush isn't any less radiant than his own. At least he isn't the only one that's embarrassed....Kuroko presses his foot down on the pump and the air makes a wheezing sound from where it fills up the blow-up bed. Kagami sets his packed bag on the edge of Kuroko's bed, strands of the rug beneath getting caught from where he curls his toes. Kuroko's room is different from his own. It's much smaller in size though it isn't as plain as Kagami's own room. There's a white desk in the further corner which is occupied by piles of homework, a shelf that's decorated neatly by the many books and novels that Kuroko likes to get lost in. There is a basketball calendar and a few basketball posters, a bedside draw with a lamp and the latest book he can't keep his nose out of atop it. The biggest difference between his room and Kagami's, though, has to be the fact that there aren't unfolded clothes in every corner and unorganized clutter pretty much everywhere."Here" Kagami says, allowing Kuroko to take a break when the shorter boy sounds like he's becoming close to breathlessness within a few moments. It isn't even close to being full of air. Kagami almost laughs but then again he knows that he doesn't want to be punched in the ribs. Pressing his own heavy foot down, Kagami quickly has the bed up and ready for use almost immediately."Show off" Kuroko mutters under his breath, retrieving extra pillows and blankets from under his bed. Kagami wasn't expecting that, usually Kuroko just bats it away whenever the taller boy does something over the top or extravagant."Hey" Kagami pokes the younger boy's ribs with a jab of his finger. "It's not my fault that you're weak""Please don't call me weak, Kagami-kun. I am not weak" Kuroko almost sounds as offended as he does whenever someone calls him a child. Kagami walks around to the other side of the blowup bed and bends over to pull it away from where it blocks the exit."It's not my fault that you're weak" He teases, attempting to milk Kuroko's annoyance as much as he can. It's funny. That is until there's a flying pillow cutting through the air and smacking him square in the face as soon as he stands upright again. Kagami gasps as the pillow drops to the ground and Kuroko goes back to tugging sheets out of the draws as though he has done nothing.Kagami plucks the pillow off of the ground and returns the favor, pelting the square fabric towards Kuroko's direction with precision. The shorter boy notices too late and the pillow whacks him in the shoulder before he has enough time to move out of the way, startling him enough for him to widen his eyes. He drops the sheets at his feet and takes the pillow back in his own hand. This time Kagami is staring at him, a mischievous smirk spreading across his face. Kuroko misses, sending the pillow bouncing off of the wall behind Kagami since the taller boy effectively dodges it.Kagami bends down to get the pillow and in the split second that his vision disconnects from Kuroko the younger boy manages to vanish. Kagami really shouldn't be surprised by now but he can't help it, he doesn't think he will ever get used to his shadow's ability to evaporate into thin air. Next thing he knows is another pillow is being repeatedly smacked against his side, Kuroko hitting him with his eyebrows scrunched and his lips set in an almost straight line. It makes Kagami laugh, stepping back to create some space between them, his own weapon of choice, otherwise known as Kuroko's cushion, in he hand."C'mon, Kuroko, even a child can do better than that!" Kagami purposely adds fuel to the fire in mass quantities, his cheeky smirk yet to leave his features. Kuroko leaps forward, whipping his pillow through the air and aiming right for the taller boy. Kagami's own cushion gets swung and before they know it they're having a full-on pillow fight, chasing one and other around the small area of the bedroom. Kuroko jumps onto the bed, running over his mattress to get to the other side and Kagami follows him, pillows being pelted and whipped all over the place. At one point Kagami swears that he hears a small chuckle from Kuroko but then he decides not to humor himself  _that_  much, surely it can't be true, right? They're so caught up in their playful battle that they don't notice the door to Kuroko's bedroom open until the figure leaning against the door frame clears their throat.The both of them stop with their arms lifted midair like their batteries ran out or something. Aomine smirks at them, arms crossed across his chest. Kagami clears his own throat and drops the pillow onto the bed, rummaging his brain for some sort of explanation."Aomine-kun?" Kuroko sets the pillow aside too. "What are you doing here?""I was waiting for you to come to practice shooting and since you didn't come, or answer your phone, I thought I would come and see what's up. Your mom let me in" He explains, his devilish eyes glance towards Kagami. "I see why now""I'm sorry, Aomine-kun" Kuroko unhooks his jacket from where it was previously hanging and puts it on. "I forgot" ...Kagami's fist grips onto another small patch of grass, ripping the green blades out of the soil and placing it down onto the collection in front of him. By now there's almost a visible pile of grass from where he's mindlessly gathered them into a small dome. His eyes glue onto the ground because he really doesn't think he wants to, or should, look up. It has been the same for over an hour and he's not entirely sure how much more he can take. Kuroko and Aomine practiced, Kuroko has failed, they have tried again, they've joked with each other, they've talked about random stuff. _Isn't it about time they called it a day?_  Kagami wonders internally.He can hear Aomine and Kuroko from where they shoot the basketball while he has been left to mow the lawn with his bare hands, third wheeling at its best."Not like that, Tetsuya. You're doing it wrong. Again" Aomine instructs, slowly becoming impatient."Hey!" Kagami reaches his limits, wiping his hands of the green stain painting his skin onto his jeans. "You could be a bit more patient""If your advice worked he would have come to you" Aomine is an artist in coming up with the perfect sentence to enrage the other boy because in that moment Kagami can quite literally feel anger rushing through his every vein, fists clenching at his side."Aomine-kun, Kagami-kun, please don't argue" Kuroko pleads though it goes pretty much unnoticed by the two squabbling.Before they even realize it Kuroko already has his basketball tucked under one arm and his bag hanging off of his shoulder and is walking away. They notice only when he's already out of the court and across the street. The two of them quickly shoot across the road to catch up with the smaller boy...."You're back" Kuroko's father looks up from where he crouches on the ground, ripping out unwanted weed from between the tiles. "Could give me the scissors, please, Tetsuya?" He points to where there's a pile of gardening tools stacked by Kuroko's feet."I think I know what you can do to get rid of them" Kagami suddenly says. Kuroko's father looks up again, wiping his almost damp forehead with the material of his sleeve. "Could I" The red heads finger points towards the entrance door of the house. Kagami wishes he never said anything, suddenly feeling a foreign sense of shyness with the older man's gaze upon him. "Could I use some stuff in the kitchen?"Kuroko's father smiles and shrugs. "Sure. Help yourself. And if you find the secret stash of chocolate my wife hides from me then make sure you share it with us" He jokes with ease, delicate response chasing Kagami's embarrassment away quickly.Kagami makes his way inside the house and Kuroko drops his bag to the side, pulling his own sleeves up and getting to work on the front garden with his father."He's a nice kid" Kuroko's father breaks the momentary silence, snipping the weed from its roots."He is" Kuroko responds, shoving the greenery into a bin bag."How do you feel about him?" He says after a beat of wordlessness without so much of a shift in his tone of voice. Kuroko falls still, fingers freezing around the weed he was about to throw away. He quickly composes himself, hoping that his dad didn't notice the hesitation."What do you mean?"Kuroko's father continues on working, not meeting his son's eyes either because it is just a general question or because he's gracious enough to not embarrass Kuroko anymore than he already has.  _Am I that readable?_  Kuroko mentally asks himself, hoping that the answer is an undoubted no. Kuroko's father puts aside another collection of weed for his son to throw out, clearly thinking up the best way to form his next question."How do you feel about him as a person?" Kuroko internally lets out a sigh of relief, dodging the bullet he hopes wasn't there in first place."He's nice." Is all son says. Kuroko's father offers a small nod  though it's nothing that confirms his satisfactions with his son's answer. He rubs a finger over the bridge of his nose, positioning himself to crouch over another patch of the green nuisance. His father doesn't press on and Kuroko allows his posture to loosen up, unaware of the fact that his body muscles had grown taught and tense in first place.When Kagami walks out again he has a boiling pot in his hands, steam escaping from the top and evaporating into the air. He sets it down onto the ground, folding and setting the cloth he used to carry the pot to the side. "I boiled some salt" He explains, steering the heated water with the ladle in his hand. With his free hand, Kagami yanks out another strand of weed and then proceeds to cover the area where the weed previously sprouted with the hot water."My dad used to do this" He explains, moving onto the next patch of weed. "It stops it from growing back" Kuroko's father takes the ladle out of the boy's hand and pours the salt water over the areas where he previously pulled the weed out.Kagami reaches out to grab another grown strand of the plant, noticing the other hand reaching over too late. The tip of Kagami's fingers touch the other boys', looking up just in time to find Kuroko staring at him with what he imagines his own expression to be right now. A readable level of surprise and confusion at the same time. Kuroko retrieves his hand like he has just been pricked by a thousand needles because, god damn it, he thought this kind of shit only happens in the most cliche of movies. Apparently not. Kuroko's father clears his throat, stands upright and wipes his hands on the side of his pajama bottoms. "I'm gonna get some cold drinks" He announces with a small smile, quickly disappearing inside the house....Kuroko's father did eventually get the drinks but then he left the two of them to work by themselves, saying something about them being younger and more able to do the extra work without him. Kuroko knows too well that his father values that front garden more than most people give him credit for. He also knows that his dad would probably have continued working on it for the rest of the evening, so for him to abruptly leave it to them doesn't go without a sense of uneasiness."Hey, Kuroko!" Kagami clicks his fingers in the blue haired boy's face "Where have you gone?""Hm?" Kagami holds his hand out towards the bin bag, nonverbally requesting for it to be handed over. "Oh, sorry. Here""Hey" Kagami's reaches a curious hand over without hesitation, landing on his friends shoulder, voice now calmer with his eyes slightly squinted. "Are you okay?"The blue haired boy wishes that he could freely lean into the touch, could allow the comfort that his friend offers him but then he knows that it's probably not what he should do. What he should do is finish the job and hope that he doesn't give anything away from what he's actually thinking. "I'm fine" He responds, shrugging his friends hand away, turning his attention to where he gets to work on another area of the ground.Kagami stares at the back of the smaller boys head, not aware of anything that he's done to annoy him, so why he's suddenly acting so strange is a question he doesn't have the answer for. He thinks up a list of everything he's done in the day and nothing particularly out of place stands out until now. Kuroko was completely fine when he was shooting hoops with Aomine, so what could have possibly happened in that time?  _Maybe he wants Aomine here, then,_  Kagami thinks. He can feel his features tightening without much of his control, turning his attention away from where he was previously observing the shorter boy. He grips onto another loose sprout of weed and yanks it with all his force, aggressively splitting the plant in half.They don't speak much after that, just a quick "Where's the bag?" or "can I have the ladle?" now and then.  Before they sleep they individually shower and change into their pajamas. Kagami looks long enough to notice how cute the younger boy looks only to quickly remember Kuroko's avoiding eyes and he tears his own gaze away....The next morning Aomine is the one to wake him up. "Hey, wake up sleeping beauty" He demands sarcastically, nudging him with the toe of his sneakers, hands buried in his pockets from where he looms over Kagami's sleeping figure."Leave me alone, asshole!""Get up, c'mon, I haven't got time for this. We have to go to the basketball court" Kagami wants to cover himself with the blanket and ignore the grating voice that barks out orders, wants to avoid the instant question of why Kuroko wasn't the one to come wake him up, wants to just sleep and maybe have a better dream than the shit he has to wake up to.Kagami only, reluctantly, decides to leave the blowup bed when Aomine threatens to soak him with the biggest jug of water he can find in the house.

...

In the kitchen, Kuroko's mother is busy in front of the stove, cracking several eggs into the heated pan. Kagami loves to cook and in any other moment he would probably admire the Tefal sets of kitchenware, but he's too occupied with other thoughts. "Ah, you're awake" Kuroko's mother turns her head from where she sprinkles salt into the food she scrambles. His blue-haired teammate has planted himself at the dinner table, looking down at the book in his hand. He doesn't even look up. It's uncomfortably unsettling for Kagami to not meet Kuroko's eyes as soon as they're in the same room. Kuroko intentionally keeps his attention from shifting towards his light for reasons that are unknown to Kagami. Could it be that he really did do something so horrible that has made Kuroko so angry without even knowing it?

Kagami keeps himself from staring at his shadow for too long, eyes focusing on his Kuroko's mother instead. "Good morning"

"Good morning to you too, darling" She hands him another pan containing cooked bacon along with several dishes, crow's feet appearing above the natural crimson, apple of her cheeks as she offers a smile. 

Aomine has already made himself comfortable, scraping his chair closer to Kuroko as he points at something in the novel Kagami's shadow focuses on.  _That asshole can probably smell Kuroko's scent from how close he's sitting next to him_ , Kagami thinks. Kuroko converses easily with Aomine, chatting about a character in a novel Kagami has never heard of. Kuroko smiles and Kagami swears that he can feel his stomach lurching inside out.

"Kagami, sweetie, the foods is going to get cold if you just stand there" Kuroko's mother rubs a hand over Kagami's arm in a comforting manner, squeezing his elbow for good measure. Kagami hopes that the heat rushing to his cheeks is only a feeling and it's not visible on his features.

"Uh, yeah, of course. Sorry" He quickly scruffles to the table and settles the dishes down, sitting the hot pan too close to Aomine's resting forearm.

"Hey! Be careful, you nearly burned me!" Aomine retrieves his arm from where it previously lay on the edge of the table. Kagami shrugs, ignoring Aomine's dramatic rubbing of the skin that never got scorched. Kagami divides the bacon and takes the pan back into the sink. He does the same with the eggs and sausages that Kuroko's mother hands him, eyes constantly seeking the moment that Kuroko actually notices his existence. He even taps the fork in his hand loudly on the dish he serves on, acting like a child that seeks attention. Kuroko doesn't give him so much as a glance.

Kuroko's mother pulls the apron over hear head, strands of blue hair falling over her shoulders and back into their straight position. She cleans her hand and takes the jug of orange juice from the fridge, passing it over to Kagami. "Just give him some time to figure things out" She leans over and whispers to the red head without much context or explanation, clearly concealing it from her son and her son's friend that sit few short meters away. Kagami's thoughts take too long to process and by the time he's figured out that he should probably ask what she's talking about she had already excused herself and had gone to the other room.

Kagami sighs and takes the juice to the table. This is going to be a long day, he thinks. 

...As Kagami expected nothing is different from the previous day. Does Kuroko even want him here? Is it possible that he completely regrets offering him a place to stay?

 

Kagami has been left to brood on the now shorter patch of grass while the sound of a bouncing ball and Aomine giving instructions takes over in the background. Somehow Kagami manages to find his voice even more irritating than he ever did in the past.

Aomine's presence annoyed him before they even arrived at the courtyard. For some unknown reason it made Kagami's stomach flip in the most putrid of ways when Kuroko's mother had placed her hand over Aomine's shoulder. "Aomine" She had said in her signature delicate voice as they were about to leave the house. "We haven't seen you in so long, darling. I'm baking cakes, you should come back later and have some"

  


"Yeah, it's been a while. I'm sorry, I've just been a little busy" Aomine had answered so sweetly and respectfully that Kagami wondered if he had a double personality or something. He questioned if Kuroko's mother saw through his bullshit but the way she smiled at him made Kagami cringe internally. He didn't like that Kuroko's family were so smitten with him.

  


Much to Kagami's disappointment, Aomine had gracefully accepted the promise of baked goods. 

...Kuroko's parents are out when they get back. The shorter boy leaves for the kitchen to retrieve the cakes his mother promised, all while Aomine and Kagami sit in on the floor of the living room."On the scale of one to ten" Aomine sit with his back resting against the wall, eyes fixated on the basketball he spins on the tip of his index. "How gay are you?" Kagami chokes on his own saliva. Aomine's tone is so accusing, so knowing, that Kagami wants to find the closest hole and bury himself in it for the next century and a half. His cheeks feel as though they have been set ablaze, heart rate soaring to rates he never thought were physically possible."Wha-" It isn't like Kagami to be lost for words, his natural identity encourages him to be rather vocal if not a little outspoken, so it surprises even him that he can't manage to argue back at all. "What are you talking about?". If only Kagami was as good at acting as he is at basketball. Aomine's cocky gaze tells him that the he sees right through the red head's facade."So you're telling me that you've never wanked off thinking about Kuroko?" Kagami himself isn't completely innocent of taking things to a whole new level but this, he thinks, exceeds anything that should probably be socially acceptable. Surely there's some rule out there that tells people not to talk about this kind of thing, right? Especially when there's just one thin wall between them and the person they're talking about."I don't know what you do in your spare time, Aomine, but you can keep it to yourself" Kagami spits out between gritted teeth, hoping to any god that's listening that the boy in the other room doesn't hear them. His eyebrows are scrunched and his fingers have been curled into a tight fist at his sides, all while Aomine remains with his legs stretched out in front of him, obnoxiously twirling his basketball on his finger as though he's never been more relaxed. Kagami wishes that he wasn't in Kuroko's house, he would have kicked this asshole out before the first syllable made it out of his mouth if it were his own home."Midorima said some random stuff about an Aquarius being compatible with a Leo" Aomine successfully ignores the red head's death glares and continues on with his speech, voice too loud for Kagami's liking. "Said that you two could probably hit it off" Kagami doesn't know when the conversation shifted from talk of his sexuality to 'hitting it off' but either way he has chills electrifying their way up his spine and he doesn't like his chances of Kuroko hearing this bullshit."What's it to you, Aomine? You come here to say some homophobic shit and go? You gonna threaten me?""Oh, Kagami" He says so dramatically, huffing out a breath and rolling his eyes, that he might as well be working as a theater actor. "I'm just trying to help you out." Kagami isn't sure when 'helping him out' became Aomines priorities and, quite frankly, doesn't believe a single word of it. "To be honest" He halts the ball on his finger and places it down on the empty space next to him, pushing it forward in one swift motion that send the ball rolling towards Kagami. The basketball reels and the Serine ace takes it into his own hands. "I've just had enough of you two skirting around each other. It's annoying" Aomine nonchalantly raises a hand to indicate the basketball that is now cradled between Kagami's hands. "The ball is in your court now" And he winks. Actually winks, smug smile and all.  _Arrogant bastard_ , Kagami thinks."Oh, and by the way" Aomine adds more seriously now, his cheeky features dropping into one sober of any mischievousness. "What made you think I would be homophobic?""I thought it came with the package of being an asshole" Kagami replies, and just like that they tumble back into their usual ribbing....It's the first time in a long time, maybe ever, that Aomine has said something that didn't actually make Kagami want to punch the closest wall. Instead it has made him want to bash his head against the closest wall because Aomine has nurtured the ideas in Kagami's mind that the red head was hoping would eventually wilt. Instead Aomine encouraged Kagami's thoughts towards his shadow to blossom, to flourish in a way the red head's not sure he can ever repress again.Up until now Kagami was able to hold his feelings, he tamed them and successfully kept them locked up behind an internal floodgate. But Aomine went and kicked those gates down and now there's a downpour surging, rushing quicker than Kagami has the ability to prevent with a gate again.Kagami knows he shouldn't but for a split second he allows himself to think about what it would be like if Kuroko did hold his hand, did kiss his lips and did call him his boyfriend. Kagami feels as though he's sinning and has gained exemption all at the same time. He flips over onto his other side, uselessly attempting to subdue the sudden warmth that spreads at the bottom of his stomach.He knows he's truly fucked, that there's absolutely no going back. He will never be able to look at his shadow again without imagining being the one to hold him through his days. He isn't eager to celebrate this fact and knows that it will, if anything, become a burden to him. You're not meant to want to hold your teammate's hand, you're not meant to get jealous of others that get closer to him than you do. None of that is meant to be applied to his and Kuroko's relationship.Kagami presses his ear further against the pillow under his head, attempting to block out his thoughts with little success.  _Damn it, Aomine!_  Kagami mentally screams.  _You never should have made me think of this!_ Kagami wants to go and hold Kuroko, draw him close and fall asleep beside him. Wants to wake up with his arms wrapped around him and a million other completely embarrassing things. But as far as he knows Kuroko hates him for some unknown reason.

Kuroko walks in as though he's on queue, yawning and stretching his arms towards the ceiling. He's dressed in his blue and white striped pajamas, sleeves coming down too far over his hands at the cuff and his small feet just about visible under the long length of his pajama pants. Kagami now sits up, resting his weight back onto his forearms.

"Hey" He says "You've barely spoken two words to me today" Kagami's eyes follow his shadow from the door to where he climbs into his bed. Kuroko watches him but doesn't say anything. "Look, if you want me to go then I will." The words barely make it out of his lips, heart crushing a little more with every sound that he makes. "If you regret offering me a place to crash at then I understa-"

"No, Kagami-kun" Kuroko interrupts quickly. "I would never want you to leave. I enjoy your company" Kagami feels as though he's had a cold bucket of ice water poured over his body, taking out the worried fire that was scorching within him. "It's just..." Kuroko's eyes wander away now, an expression that is somewhat different from his usual poker face beginning to appear on his features. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable" Blue eyes focus on anything but Kagami who now fully sits up in his blowup bed. "People are noticing things I really don't want them to notice. Aomine, even my dad. I didn't think that would be a problem, I'm typically good at hiding" His thumbs uncharacteristically twirl around each other, a nervous habit Kagami didn't know Kuroko had until now.

"Things like what?" There's a pause. Kuroko's cheeks are bright crimson like Kagami has never seen before. So many unseen features of Kuroko begin to surface in the short conversation that Kagami has to wonder how much of the boy he hasn't seen up until now. How much is there that he wishes he had the privilege of getting to know. 

"Things like" Kuroko has come face to face with opponents two to three times his own size, has faced great competitors and yet he has never appeared as shaken as he does in this moment. He takes in a deep breath, closes his eyes and slowly breathes out before speaking. "The way I look at you, the way I talk about you, the way I admire you" Kuroko's voice is almost something between a quivering and stuttering mess, sending an electric shock slithering up Kagami's spine. His eyes widen, his own breath falling short and leaving his lungs because the surprise level is far too high to comprehend. 

"I'm sorry, Kagami-kun, I'm sorry" Kuroko's apologies follow one after the other, sounding more worried than he previously was. "I knew I shouldn't have said anything. Aomine-kun told me it was a good idea, I shouldn't have listened" Kuroko sounds trembles like he's about to start crying at any given moment.

Kagami can't take the sight of a distraught Kuroko anymore, he hurriedly pushes his blanket off of himself and scrambles towards his shadow. Kuroko's slim fingers cover his face, concealing his expressions behind his hands. Kagami places his hands over his shadows ones and carefully pries them away from his face. The rim of eyes are red, sniffing back another downpour of tears. "Kuroko, please, look at me" He says as softly as possible, his shadow's glassy eyes and crimson cheeks coming to view. A tear falls from his shadow's lashes and Kagami thinks that he senses his very being shatter with it. "Oh my god, please don't cry" Reaching up to comfort him, Kagami quickly takes Kuroko in his arms. Kuroko's face buries into Kagami's collar bone, almost shaking in the older boy's arms. "Shhhh, it's okay, Kuroko" A large hand rubs circles into Kuroko's back in a reassuring manner. Kagami feels all is usual angry impressions drained out of him and in their place roots gentle and kind ones.

He pulls back to get a view of his shadow, takes Kuroko's slim face in his hands and speaks slow and steady. "Kuroko, listen to me. I don't think there's a single thought or feeling that you have had that I don't have about you" He says, surprisingly not feeling embarrassed by the words. He always thought the end of the world would come before he said something cheesy like this but now his sentences flow easily and sincerely.

Kuroko blinks his wet lashes, another tear rolling down his face even though he has a small smile creeping onto his face now. "I like you, Kuroko Tetsuya. I really, really do" Kagami's thumb wipes the space under Kuroko's eyes from where his hand still cradles his shadow's face, sweeping away the tears there. The shadow holds his light's wrist, leaning his face into the hands at his cheeks. 

"I like you too, Kagami-kun"

\-----

That night they lay in bed with Kuroko's head pillowed by Kagami's chest, holding each other close and dearly. 

The moment Kagami woke up, two days ago, to find that he had an evacuation letter plastered on his door if he knew it would lead to this moment then he would never have gotten mad. Hell, he would have personally found and gifted the person who made him leave that house. _'Thank you'_ Kagami hits send on his phone. Kagami gets a message back not long after. _'You owe me'_ _'I hate you, Aomine Daiki'_ _'No, you don't'_ Kagami smiles at his phone and places it on the nightstand. "I can't tell if you're happy or angry" Kuroko says from where he cuddles into Kagami's side, the red head's arm cradling him closer. "You're smiling but you're kind of frowning, too""I'm happy" Kagami says, landing a gentle kiss atop the smaller boy's blue mop of hair. "I'm really happy"


End file.
